Marked by red brick-clad buildings and streets, shimmering towers, spirited nightlife and a canal weaving its way toward the Oklahoma River, Bricktown is a downtown entertainment district in Oklahoma City that marches to the beat of its own drum. In addition to bars, music venues, clubs and the popular Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, restaurants new and old make Bricktown an essential dining destination in OKC. From swanky steakhouses and waterside bars to dueling pianos and dueling pizza styles, Bricktown’s food scene is as exciting as its architecture.
Elevated Dining Experiences
With its surf-’n’-turf menu, cigar bar and brick walls lined with black-and-white portraits, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse offers a dining experience that sets it apart in a city famed for steakhouses. A Bricktown mainstay since 2000, the restaurant serves prime beef and Wagyu steaks fit for baseball royalty. Or anyone looking to pair their Cowboy Cut rib-eye with lobster tail and a glass of wine off the award-winning wine list.
Nearby, Culprits puts its own stamp on surf-’n’-turf inside the sleek Renaissance Oklahoma City Downtown Bricktown Hotel. The posh restaurant features steak and sushi from James Beard-nominated chef James Fox, including unique offerings like a 48-oz. tomahawk rib-eye with black garlic butter and blistered shishito peppers, a chicken-fried rib-eye with smoked Gouda mashed potatoes and a Surf & Turf nigiri that pairs ahi tuna and salmon with seared prime filet. Don’t sleep on the show-stopping cocktails, like the table-side smoked Old Fashioned.
Casual Bricktown Eats
A Bricktown cornerstone since 1996, Pearl’s Crabtown features real-deal Cajun cuisine in a renovated warehouse space outfitted with neon lights, crabby art installations and all kinds of colorful Mardi Gras memorabilia. The dining experience is just as characteristic, best known for its roll-up-your-sleeves crab boils served on butcher paper-covered tables. Round it out with other Cajun delicacies, like fried alligator bites and Louisiana crab cakes, and don’t forget the bananas Foster bread pudding for dessert.
It’s a tale of two pizza styles at Rendezvous Pizza, a lofty eatery with a lofty menu that offers both New York- and Detroit-style pies and slices. Whatever your pizza preference, be it a slice of NY-style smoked chicken pizza or a deep dish-style Detroit pie with caramelized edges and crispy pepperoni, there’s something for every pizza lover.
Waterside Food & Drinks
Below street level, the Bricktown Canal teems with water taxis and murals. It also has unique waterside restaurants and bars, like Bourbon St. Cafe, where the creamy Cajun-style crab dip is nearly as famed as the waterside view. Snag a table outside and watch the canal action as you savor blackened catfish, gumbo and some Voodoo Punch.
From Cajun cuisine to flavors of Central and South America, Yucatan Taco Stand Tequila Bar & Grill channels menu inspiration from Mayan and Mexican cuisines, with dishes like green chile enchiladas, chicken chili rellenos, fried plantains and shrimp cocktail. Pair your meal with a margarita, which is best enjoyed with a waterfront view.
While Michael Murphy’s Dueling Piano Bar is on the canal, you’ll need to head indoors to drink in the full experience of this raucous nightlife haunt. The weekend fixture is a go-to for its lively bar scene and spontaneous dancing, as three piano players take turns rocking out to musical requests.
From old classics and new haunts to surf-’n’-turf, Bricktown’s dining scene offers something for everyone—and a unique taste of OKC—in the heart of downtown.
